Plants To Give Away: A Look at Some of the All-Time Favorite Pass-Along Plants

May 23, 2016 03:31PM
● Published by Melanie Heisinger

By Steve Huddleston

Steve
Huddleston is the senior horticulturist at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden,
co-author of Easy Gardens for North Central Texas, and president of his own
landscaping company.

Pass-along plants are plants that we pass along to friends,
neighbors and family members. They can
be plants of nostalgic significance – plants that we grew up with and that
evoke special memories. They are often
fragrant. They are easily propagated and
given away as bulbs, seeds, cuttings or divisions. In many cases, they are scarce in
commerce. Let’s take a look at some of
the all-time favorite pass-along plants.

Autumn
Sage, Russian Sage and Zexmenia

These three perennials bloom spring through fall and exhibit
great drought tolerance. Autumn sage and zexmenia are native to Texas; Russian
sage is native to the Himalayas and western China. Autumn sage blooms in colors of red, pink,
white and coral, and the flowers attract hummingbirds. All three are easily divided, and autumn sage
and zexmenia also reproduce from seeds.

Bearded
Iris

This spring-blooming perennial grows from rhizomes that need
to be divided every 3 to 5 years. When
you divide iris in September, you will have plenty of rhizomes to give
away. Bearded iris grows 18 to 36 inches
tall in full or part sun and well-drained soil.
They are quite drought tolerant.

Crinum

This bulb, a Southern favorite, produces strap-like foliage
about 2 ½ feet tall. Plant in sun to
part shade in well-drained soil with the neck of the bulb 1 to 2 inches above
the soil level. The trumpet-shaped
flowers appear in May/June and emit a nice fragrance.

Daffodil

This harbinger of spring does best in full sun and in
well-drained soil. The two best kinds of
daffodils for north central Texas are tazettas and jonquillas. After the foliage dies down naturally, lift
and divide bulbs and then share with friends.

Hardy Red
Amaryllis

Hippeastrum x johnsonii grows
from a bulb that produces strap-like foliage 18 to 24 inches tall. The beautiful, trumpet-shaped red flowers
appear in spring. This bulb tolerates
heavy clay soil. Divide every 3 to 5
years in the fall, and re-set the bulbs with the neck of the bulb slightly
above ground level. When you divide, you will have plenty of
new bulbs to give away.

Hollyhock

Alcea
rosea is about as old-fashioned as you can
get. Hollyhocks are the perfect plant
for cottage gardens or for the back of a mixed border. Plant in full sun in well-drained soil, and
watch them grow 5 to 7 feet tall.
Flowers can be single or double; the single-flowering varieties look
more old-fashioned and charming. Colors
are typically red and pink; double-flowering varieties also come in
yellow. Treat hollyhocks as an
annual. At the end of the season, collect
seeds and give to friends.

Hyacinth
Bean

Thomas Jefferson grew this vine at Monticello. Talk about a heritage plant! It grows to about 10 feet in full sun in any
well-drained soil. The leaves are green
on top but purple underneath. The stems
and seed pods are purple, too, and the flowers are lavender-pink and attract
hummingbirds and butterflies. Giving
away the seeds is the perfect way to perpetuate this pass-along plant.

Mealy
Blue Sage

Salvia
farinacea Henry Duelberg looks like regular
mealy blue sage on steroids; it is a very robust plant that blooms and
reproduces prolifically. The many
seedlings that germinate make perfect pass-along plants. Henry Duelberg gets 3 ½ feet tall, produces
spikes of blue flowers April through November and attracts butterflies.

Southern
Wood Fern

This herbaceous, perennial fern grows 2 feet tall in full to
light shade and performs beautifully in north central Texas. Once established, it even demonstrates
considerable drought tolerance. It
combines well with the dark green foliage of hollies and yew and looks great
with caladiums, fatsia and Turk’s cap.
This fern forms clumps that can easily be divided in fall or early
spring.

Spider
Lily

Lycoris
radiata blooms in September atop leafless
stems. The bright red, spidery-like
flowers planted in mass will stop traffic.
Plant in large drifts in beds; it’s especially effective coming up
through ground cover to add another layer of interest. Foliage emerges in the
fall and dies down in spring; right before it does, dig the bulbs for
transplanting or for giving away.

Summer
Phlox

Phlox
paniculata looks charming in a cottage garden or
mixed border. Plant in full sun in soil
that has been enriched with organic matter.
Plant toward the back of the border since this perennial gets 3 feet
tall. Huge heads consisting of
phlox-like flowers adorn the plant all summer; the flowers are fragrant,
too. John Fanick is a Texas Superstar
plant with light pink flowers and maroon centers. Divide this perennial in fall or early spring
and give starts to friends and neighbors.

Summer
Snowflake

Leucojum aestivum blooms in early spring and naturalizes very well in north
central Texas. It grows well in our clay
soils, too. The dainty white flowers
hang downward and have a green dot at the tip of each petal. Plant in sun to part shade and in large
“drifts” as opposed to single rows.

Sweet
Autumn Clematis

This native of Japan is a fast-growing vine, easily covering
a fence within a season. Plant in full
sun in any kind of soil. In late
summer/early fall, it will reward you with a bank of ivory blossoms that have a
most wonderful fragrance. This vine
spreads by runners and seedlings; either can be dug and offered as a pass-along
plant.

Turk’s
Cap

This herbaceous perennial is native to Texas, grows 3 to 5
feet tall in full sun or shade and attracts hummingbirds to its bright red
flowers all season long. Although Turks’
cap grows in full sun, it looks perkier in shade and does very well in shade
gardens. New starts come from dividing
in the fall or spring or from little seedlings that pop up around the mother
plant.

These are just a few of many plants Texas gardeners can pass
along to friends, neighbors and relatives.
Others include oxblood lily, fall aster, Philippine lily, old-fashioned
petunias and daylilies.

If you don’t
have some of these plants, get them, and then offer them as pass-along plants
to others!

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